Extension-step for passenger-cars.



N. J. WOOD.

EXTENSION STEP FOR PASSENGER CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. l9l5. 1,1,23; Patented July 27, 1915.

Z SHEETSSHEET I.

N. J. WOOD.

EXTENSION STEP FOR PASSENGER CARS APPLICATION msv MAY 19. 1915.

1,1%,4g3 Pawnted July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

il I I A i MI m n m ill Z6 3/ J2 l will; 25 K H I NATHAN J. WOOD, OF LOUISVILLE, ILLINOIS.

EXTENSION-STEP FOR PASSENGER-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27', 1915.

Application filed May 19, 1915. Serial No. 29,124.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN/J. W001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Clay and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extension-Steps for Passenger-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in extension steps for passenger cars.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of extension steps for passenger cars and to provide a simple, practical, and inexpensive extension step of strong and durable construction adapted to be readily applied to the ordinary steps of a passenger coach and capable of easy operation to arrange it to form an extension of the steps of the coach and also to fold it beneath the bottom step so as to be out of the way when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide an extension step which will be, more convenient for porters and which will also be more reliable to passengers entering and leaving a train especially where there is no platform and where the ordinary stool is liable to tilt and upset.

Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of an extension step constructed in ac cordance with this invention and shown applied to a passenger coach, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, the extension step being arranged for use, Fig. 4: is a similar view, the extension step being folded, Fig. 5 is a detail view of the bracket for holding the operating rod or member.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawing in which is llustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a folding step adapted to form an extension of the ordinary step- 2 of a passenger car 3 and constructed of suitable material, preferably heavy sheet rear edge with a folding riser 4 provided at its lower edge with eyes 5 registering with an eye 6 of the step 1 and receiving a trans verse pintle rod 7 which passes through the said eyes 5 and 6 whereby the step. 1 is hinged to the lower edge of the riser 4.

The riser 4 is provided at its upper edge with an eye 8 which registers with eyes or bearings 9 of metallic straps 10 which are secured to the upper face of the bottom step 11 of the car or coach. The metallic straps 10 are angularly bent at 12 to lit the upper face and front edge of the bottom step 11 and the pintle rod 13 which hinges the folding riser 4 to the bottom step 11 is arranged in the plane of the lower face of the said step 11 to permit the riser 4 to swing rearwardly and upwardly and fold fiat against the said step 11 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The riser 1 is adapted to swing upwardly and downwardly to enable the step 1 to form an extension of the car step and also to fold beneath the bottom step 11 as shown.

The pintle rod 13 has extended terminals 14 which pass through openings 15 of approximately L-shaped supporting bars 16 composed of vertical and horizontal portions and secured to the step 2 of the car or coach at the inner and outer sides of the said step and provided at their angles with hearing openings 17 for the reception of a shaft or pivot 18. The shaft or pivot 18 is provided with arms 19 and 20 pivoted at points intermediate of their ends to sides or wings 21 preferably formed integral with the folding step 1. The sides or wings 21 which extend upwardly and rearwardly are preferably tapered as shown and they are connected by suitable pivots '22 to the arms of the transverse shaft or pivot 18. The arms 19 and 20 constitute levers for operating the folding step and the'inner arm 20 has its outer end pivoted in a slot or bifurcation 28 of an operating rod or member 24 having a suitable grip or handle 25 at its upper or outer end and provided at the latter with a perforation 26 to enable the free end of the operating rod or member to be engaged with a tion 80. By thisconstruction the projecting finger which is disposed longitudinally of the caris offset from the side face thereof projecting finger 27 of a bracket 28.

The bracket .28 consists of a shank or attaching plate 29 secured to the side of the car as shown, a substantially L-shaped connecting portion 30 extending inwardly from and also from the bottom of the same. The end of the finger is located in substantially I the planeof the end of the car which is provided with a pivoted latch plate 31 adapted to confine the operating rod or member on the finger. The latch plate 31 is pivoted at its inner end 32 and it is provided at its outer portion with a substantially vertical arcuate slot 33 which receives a fastening device 34 for limiting the upward and down ward swing of the latch plate 31 which is provided with a projecting lip or flange 35 at its upper edge to enable itto be readily grasped to lift it out of engagement with the operating rod or member when it is desired to remove the same from the projecting finger ofthe bracket. When the step 1 is in its extended position as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive the operating rod or member extends vertically from the arm or lever 20 to the finger of the bracket and it constitutes a lock for positively retaining the folded step in its extended position. When the folded step 1 is arrange in its folded position as illustrated in Fig. 4, the operating rod or member extends outwardly from the arm or lever 20 and is arranged in a substantially horizontal position and it constitutes a lock for retaining the extension step 1 in its folded position whereby the extension is effectively prevented from accidentally swinging downwardly to a projecting position when the car is in motion. The supporting bars 16 are connected at their vertical portions by a transverse rod 36 having its ends suitablysecured in perforations of the vertical portions of the L-shaped supporting bars.

Vhen it is desired to extend the folding 4 step, the operating rod or member is unlatched and the lever with which it 1s con- 'nectedais pulled forwardly and downwardly until the step is fully extended. Then the lever is locked by relatching the operating rod or member. The step is folded by a reverse movement of the lever and is securely locked in its folded position.

What is claimed is 1. An extension step for passenger cars and analogous vehicles including a riser provided at its upper edge with means for hinging it to the bottom car step and adapted to swing upwardly and rearwardly beneath the same, a folding step hinged to the lower edge of the riser and extending therefrom and carried by the riser to and from a position beneath the said bottom step of the car, said folding step being provided with sides or wings extending upwardly and rearwardly and operating means connected with the sides or wings for carrying the folding step upwardly and downwardly.

2. An extension step of the class described including a riser provided with means for hinging it to the bottom step of a passenger car and adapted to swing upwardly and rearwardly beneath the said bottom step, a folding step hinged to the lower edge of the riser and provided with a side or wing and a lever pivoted in rear of the side or wing and connected at an intermediate point with the same and adapted to be oscillated to carry the folding step to and from a position beneath the bottom step of the car.

3. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move upwardly and downwardly to and from a position beneath the said bottom step,a pivotal lever connected at an intermediate point with the folding step, an operating rod or member connected with the lever and means for securing the operating rod or member to the rod to retain the folding step in its folded and extended position.

l. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move to and from a position beneath the said bottom stop, an oscillatory lever connected with the folding step, an operating rod or member pivoted to the said lever and arranged in substantially a vertical position when the folding stepis extended and in an approximately horizontal position when the said step is folded, and means for securing. the operating rod or member to the car for retaining the folding step in its extended and folded position.

5. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move to and from a position beneath the said bottom step, an oscillatory lever connected with the folding step, an operating rod or member pivoted to the said lever and arranged in substantially a vertical position when the folding step is extended and in an approximately horizontal position when the said step is folded, a bracket provided with means for engaging the operating rod or member, and a latch for retaining the operating rod or member in engagement With the bracket.

6. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move to and from a position beneath the said bottom step, an oscillatory lever con nected with the folding step, an operating rod or member pivoted to the said lever and arranged in substantially a vertical position when the folding step is extended and in an approximately horizontal position When the said step is folded, said operating rod or member being provided with an opening, a bracket having a projecting finger arranged to extend through the opening of the operating rod or member and a latch for looking the operatin rod or member in engagement with the said finger.

7. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move to and from a position beneath the said bottom step, an oscillatory lever connected with the folding step, an operating rod or member pivoted to the said lever and arranged in substantially a vertical position when the folding step is extended and in an approximately horizontal position when the said step is folded, said operating rod or member being provided with an opening, a bracket having a projecting finger arranged to extend through the opening of the operating rod or member, and a pivoted latch plate mounted on the car and arranged to swing to and from the position for retaining the operating rod or member on the finger of the bracket.

8. An extension step of the class described including a folding step, means for connecting the same with the bottom step of a car, said means permitting the folding step to move to and from a position beneath the said bottom step, an oscillatory lever connected with the folding step, an operating rod or member pivoted to the said lever and arranged in substantially a vertical position when the folding step is extended and in an approximately horizontal position when the said step is folded, said operating rod or member being provided with an opening, a bracket secured to the side of the car and provided With a projecting finger and hav ing an angularly disposed portion extending inwardly and downwardly to offset the finger from the side and bottom of the car and a vertically movable latch plate pivotally mounted on the car and arranged to confine the operating rod or member in engagement with the finger of the bracket.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NATHAN J. WOOD.

Witnesses:

C. E. MAXWELL, G. H; BROADWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

